Vote Against H.R.4038/S.2300, the American SAFE Act of 2015

Vote Against H.R.4038, the American SAFE Act of 2015

On January 20, 2016, the Senate will vote on H.R. 4038, the American SAFE Act of 2015. This bill was introduced by House Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) as a reaction to the heinous attacks that occurred in Paris, France. While this bill seeks to enhance our national security, in reality, it tastelessly takes advantage of the recent tragedies in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California to strengthen the politics of fear, and seeks to enforce additional security requirements on the U.S. admission of Syrian refugees.

The reality is that the U.S. already implements the most thorough vetting process for refugees in the world. Calls to end the resettlement of Syrian refugees are either rooted in a lack of knowledge about the refugee vetting process, bigotry, or both. The multipart process, which can take up to two years to complete, involves the UNHCR and a diverse array of U.S. federal agencies including the Department of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counterterrorism Center, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

H.R. 4038, the American SAFE Act of 2015, should be voted against for the following reasons:

1. It unfairly and exclusively imposes enhanced U.S. refugee vetting standards on Iraqi and Syrian nationals.

2. As President Obama declared, this bill requires an untenable certification from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Director of National Intelligence that an Iraqi or Syrian national applying for U.S. refugee admission is not a threat.